Pupils in Years 3 and 4 at Redmaids’ High Junior School were truly engaged during a week of activities dedicated to kindness and compassion, through the lens of different world religions.
In line with this term’s Jigsaw theme of relationships, during lessons such as art, music, drama and dance, the girls were both creative and reflective, thinking about how acts of kindness, no matter how big or small, can have a big impact on those around them, and on themselves too.
Paying special attention to both their own actions and those of others, they recorded their kind deeds each day and then wrote them in a kindness diary in English. In art, the girls looked at the image of The Khamsa and the Five Pillars of Islam. They looked at some beautiful Islamic patterns, geometry and symbols and learnt that the third pillar of Islam is Zakat – charity and giving to those in need.
The girls created their own Khamsa paintings with symbols and decorative patterns inspired by what they learnt.
In music, the girls enjoyed learning about how music is used in worship to show kindness in different world religions. They learnt hymns linked to The Good Samaritan, a Jewish prayer song and composed their own kindness chants inspired by Buddhism.
The girls had great fun during a dance workshop led by Avtar’s Indian Culture & Dance, who taught the girls about the importance of community and serving others in Hinduism and Sikhism through traditional dance.
Finally, they also enjoyed being visited by a therapy dog called Roydon from Pets As Therapy (PAT). This national charity seeks to enhance well-being and enrich lives in various communities around the country, including schools, hospitals and care homes.
The girls met him in small groups and enjoyed his calming presence while they read himstories (with a theme of kindness) in the new fiction library, giving him a gentle stroke when he came up to sniff them!
Mrs Cheater, Year 4 teacher, said, “It has been a lovely week of creativity and kindness in Year 4. We have enjoyed combining art and our learning in maths to create factor bugs. Everyone has loved giving and receiving compliments and making an extra effort to be kind and recognise kindness.”